Reykjavik is the capitol and about the only city you really need to see unless you are doing a documentary. It's got a small town, but urban feel if you stay downtown. We rented an airbnb one block from the heart of the main strip which runs from the hallgrímskirkja church to downtown to the port. There are two main streets that are just a block from one another and meet right before you reach downtown, all full of shopping restaurants and neat little spots for a coffee. Plus, within easy walking distance, museums, the university, and some great parks. There's even a zoo and botanical garden. You can see it all in two full days and not feel like you missed a bunch. We ate in great places, did a Segway tour, saw the top tourist attractions, (information available on any site, pick you favorite) and shopped. Matter of fact, we were pretty much ready to leave the city after 48 hours because anything we did next felt like a repeat. We rented a car, there is free parking by the church, and on day three we drove the Golden Circle. If you are like us and like nature in small doses and not go into great depth, driving the Golden Circle, which takes about six hours, which included seeing the sites, is just enough. The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route starting with the national park where tectonic plates are visibly showing you how the crust of the earth decides to not play nice, next a quick stop by the geysers, and it is a nice chance to see hot water shoot up into the air, and finally the Guffloss, Waterfall, is really a majestic site. Watching the water run and climbing on the rocks is soul soothing and our souls were soothed in about a half an hour. The best part, it's a nice little drive both ways, and the drive is kinda fun and short, but with the feeling of a road trip through the highlands.
On day four you drive right back to the airport, which has been named one of the best in the world. It is very small, but with Iceland air you can print your luggage tags, boarding passes, and drop your bags off without talking to anyone. It's automatic and quick. Then you are off to your real vacation in Whatever European country you planned on going in the first place, and you have a new stamp in the passport and some neat stories about your layover.
Note: Iceland is expensive. Everything. This blog post is not about saving money, but we saved more than $2000 on getting cheaper airfare by flying through Iceland, so the layover was pretty much paid for and then some.
